Sweeping-machine.



L. SOO S.

SWEEPING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 5, 1910.

Patented Sept.27, 1910.

5 SHEETS-SHEET l.

L. SOUS.

SWEEPING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 5, 1910.

Patented Sept. 27, 1 91 0.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Q Aviv WQZ-Zwr. ass as gAMH Momma L; SOUS. SWEEPING MACHINE. APPLICATION IILED JAN. 5, 1910.

Patented Sept.27,1910.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

14. MMW

SWEEPING MACHINE.

APPLIUATION FILED JAN. 5, 1910.

Patented 89%221910.

6 BHEETB-SHEET 4.

burl! Wa W653 e5 3 L. SOOS.

SWEEPING MACHINE. APPLIOATIONIILEDIAN.5,1910.

Patented Sept 27,1910.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 5.

NiTEn STATES LOUIS 8008, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK.

SWEEPING-MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent. a.te11te(l Sept. 27, 1910.

Application filed January 5, 1910. Serial No. 538,495.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LOUIS $005, a subject of the Em neror of Austria-Hungary, residing-at Bu alo, in the county of Erie and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Sweeping-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a street sweeper of that type in which the dirt is swept direct from the street into a cart or wagon which carries the sweeping mechanism and which may be dumped in any suitable locality to which the load has been transported.

' One of the objects of this invention is to provide a sweeping-mechanism in which the brushes can be lifted from the ground and doubled so as to render the machine more compactwhen the same is used only for transporting a load of dirt.

Another object of this invention is to provide improved means for dumping the load of sweepings.

My invention has the further object to enable the curb of the street to be swept effectively.

Still further objects of my invention are to improve the machine in various details of construction which will be referred to more fuily hereinafter.

In the accompanying drawings consisting of 5 sheets: Figure 1 1s a side elevation of any improved sweeping machine. Fig. 2 is a fragmentary side elevation of the rear partof the endless brush and adjacent parts in an inverted 0r inoperative position. Fig. 3 is a face view of one of the brush sections of the endless carrier. Fig. 4 is a vertical section in line 44, Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a vertical longitudinal sectional elevation of my improved sweeping machine. Fig. 6 is a vertical transverse section in line 6-6,-Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is a fragmentary horizontal longitudinal section in line 7-7, Fig. 5. Fig. 8 is a top plan view of the machine. Fig.9 is a horizontal section, on an enlarged scale, in line )-9, Fig. 5. Figs. 10, and 11 are vertical transverse sections in lines 10-10 and 11 -11, Fig. 5, respectively. 12 is a fagmentary bottom plan View 0 the rear part of the sweeping mechanism. Fig. 13 is a fragmentary side elevation of the'box of the sweeping machine showing the means for rendering the sweeping mechanism operative and inoperative. Fig. '14 a fragmentary Vertical section, on an enlarged scale, in line l t-14, Fig. 13. Fig. 15 is a fragmentary side elevation of the box of the machine viewed from the side opposite to Fig. 13 and showing the means for operating the sectional bottom of the box. Fig. 16 is a side elevation of the rear part of the sweeping mechanism viewed from the side opposite to Fig. 1. Fig. 17 is a fragmentary side elevation of the rear part of the sweep- .ing mechanism showing the position of the parts just before the. same have been restored to their operative position.

Similar letters of reference indicate corviews.

A represents the box or receptacle-.of the cart or'wagon into which the dirt is swept from the ground or street surface and from which the sweepings are dumped in any suitable place to which the load may be transported. This box may be supported on a running gear of any suitable construc tion, that shown in the drawings comprising a pair of front steering'wheels a, a. and a pair of rear driving wheels a (L The wagon of the sweeping machine may be propelled in any suitable manner, for instance, by means of draft animals attached to a pole B which connects with thesteering wheels. The bottom of the box preferably comprises a'plurality of bottom sections C which are arranged in a row lengthwise of the box and each of which is mounted between its front and rear edges on a transverse shaft 0 which is journaled in bearings c on the adjacent longitudinal walls of'the box. Upon turning these bottom sections so that the same are horizontally in line, their edges engage with each other and with the lower edges of the box walls and thereby close the box so that it will retain the dirt which is swept into the same. Upon turning the box is dumped therefrom. The closing movement of the bottom sections is limited loy bevel-ing the cooperating edges of the bottom sections'and end walls of the box, as shown in Fig. 5.. The bottom sections may be turned into their open and closed position by any suitable means but preferably by the means which are shown in Figs. 5, 9 and 15 of the drawings and which comprise a horizontal shaft D journaled lengthwise on one .side wall of the box and pr0- l d each of which meshes with a gear segresponding parts throughout the several bottom sections vertically the load in the vided with a plurality of bevel gear pinions ment (Z? on the shaft of one ,of the bottom sections,-an upright shaft D journaled' on the front part of the box and connected at its lower end by intermeshing miter gears al with the longitudinal shaft D, a handle or wheel E arranged at the upper end of the upright shaft adjacent to the drivers seat E ,-a'spring pressed 'detent pawl e pivoted on the box and adapted to engage with the ratchet teeth of a detent ratchet wheel 6 for holding the upright shaft and connect ing parts against backward movement so that the bottom sections will not open accidentally and dump the load, and a releasing cam e pivoted on the box and adapted when turned in the proper direction to disengage the detent pawl from the ratchet wheel andpermit the bottom sections to be turned open for dumping the contents of the box. v

The mechanism whereby the dirt is swept from the street' into the box, comprises an endless brush F which has an operative inclined lower part extending from the ground in rear of the box upwardly and forwardly over the rear wall f of the box and adjacent to the front wall f thereof, and an upper inclined inoperative part which extends downwardly and rearwardly from the delivery end to the receiving end of the lower part of the brush. This brush may be va'riously constructed and consists preferably of two endless chain belts arranged side by side, and cross bars or'transverse stocks f connected at opposite ends with said belts and each provided with outwardly projecting bristles f At the rear turns of' the chain belts the same pass around lower rear sprocket or supporting wheels G which are mounted on a transverse shaft 9 and at their front turns the same pass around upper front sprocket or supporting wheels H which are mounted on a-tran'sverse shaft h j'ournaled in bearings on the adjacent part of the box; Intermediate of the upper and lower .s'procket'wheels H, G the upper inoperative parts of the brush chain belts are supported by intermediate supporting sprocket wheels I which are mounted on a transverse shaft 2' journaled in bearings 2' on the adjacent part of the box.

The endless brush is preferably driven from the axle J of the rear driving wheels a a of the machine by means of two chain belts j passing around a sprocket pinion 'j on the shaft h of the front supporting. wheels H and large intermediate sprocket wheels J 2 adjacent to the ends of the axle J and intermediate gear wheels operatively connected with the intermediate sprocket wheels J and meshing with gear wheels i on the adjacent part of the driving axle J, as shown in Figs. 1, 8 and 10. By this means the endless brush is, moved with its lower operative side forwardly and upwardly and sweeps any dirtan'dloose arti- 'c les onthe surface of'the road into the top of the box. transport the machine without operating the sweeping mechanism, this may be done by disconnecting the driving mechanism of the endless brush from the driving axle. though various means may be employed for connecting and disconnecting the brush driving mechanism and the driving axle, the means shown in the drawings are suitable and comprise a transverse shaft K carrying the'gear wheels 7' and sprocket wheels J eccentrics /a turning in bearings on the side walls of the box andprovided on one side of their axes with bearings in which the transverseshaft K is journaled, atransverse rock shaft L journaled in the sidewalls of the box adjacent to the driving axle and provided at opposite ends with forwardly projecting rock arms is, an upright hand lever is, a 'longitudinalshifting rod or bar 7'5 guided in a loop le on the outer side of the box and connected at its front end with the lower'arm of the rock lever I6 and an intermediate 'rock'arm' iflarranged on the rock shaft Z0 and connected by arlink k with the rear end of the shifting ba'r k' and links 79 which connect the rock'arms k with arms 70" on the-eccentrics 70, asshown in Figs. 1, 5, 8, 10, 13 and .14. Upon turning the hand'lever 7s forwardly the parts are shifted so as to engage thedriven gear wheels 3' with the driving gear wheels j while upon moving the hand lever 70* backlVhen it is desired tosimply wardly the parts are shifted in the direction for disengaging the gear wheels j Ase'the bristles on the lower or. operative side of the endless brush move forwardly 'and'upwardly, the dirt on the roadway is picked up by the lowermost part of the brush [which engages the roadway and-brushed forwardly and upwardly over an inclined runway into the box. ably comprises a permanently stationary front. section L, and a normally stationary roar section L At the rear endof the rear section L of-the runway the same is provided with bearings g in which the shaft 9 of the rear sprocket wheels-G is journaled. Two transverse rows of wings or flaps L L are pivoted. at their front ends on the rear *end of the rear runway section and trail at-their rear ends on the ground. The wings orflaps are arranged in two groups which are arranged one above the other, the wings of the lower group L being spaced apart and those of the upper group-L overlapping the lower wings and bridging the spaces between the same. As the machine is propelled forward over the ground or roadway the wings are free to rise and fall individually to a large extent and adapt themselves to any variation or unevenness of the roadway, thus This runway preferlSI with a high part of the roadway.

avoiding lifting the entire rear part ofthe runway when the same engages at one'point In order. to support the rear part of the runway and hold the same a definite distance from the ground apair ofsupporting Wheels M are provided which run on the round and are connected with the underside of the rear end of the runway by vertical swivels mso that the same can turn in the manner of casters for adapting themselves to the wheeled running gear or truck of the machine.

For the purpose of bringing the dirt lying in the gutter or next to the curb of the street within the action of the main elevating brush, an auxiliary rotary brush N, N of cylindrical form isprovided which is arranged on the curb side of the main brush and at a forwardly inclined angle to the direction of movement of the same, so that when the auxiliary brush turns with .its lower side forwardly the dirt in the gutter or next to thecu'rb will be sweptinto the path of the main brush to be subsequently carried by the latter into the box.

The auxiliary brush is mounted on an in clined shaft 72, which is journaled on the rear ends of the inner and outer arms a a of a vertically swinging frame which is pivoted on brackets 91?, n on the underside of theadjacent part of the runway. The auxiliary brush may be adjusted vertically to adapt the same to the roadway and for tak ing up wear by means of an adjusting yoke 0 connected with the arm n and provided with a slotted lug n which receives an adjusting screw w on the adjacent part of the runway, as shown in Figs. 12 and 17. Motion may be transmitted to the auxiliary brush by any suitable means but preferably, as shown in' the last mentioned figures, by

' a horizontal transverse intermediate shaft 0 journaled on the arms a, a a chain belt 0 passing around sprocket wheels 0 0 on the outer end of the intermediate shaft 0 and the corresponding end of the shaft 9 of the rear sprocket wheels G, and an intermediate gear wheel 0 pivoted on'the arm n and meshing on its opposite sides with gear wheels 0, 0 on the inner ends of the shafts n, 0 The out-er supporting arm n preferably supports the shaft 11 between the inner and outer sections N N of the'rotary auxiliary brush and also at its outer end for which purpose it extends partly lengthwise infront of the outer brush section N, as shown in Fig. 1.2. For the purpose of protecting the auxiliary brush against undue wear and also causing any large objects to be directed in front of the same, a guard roller 0 is mounted on the arm n adjacent 'to the outer end of the orter brush section N. As the machine advances the guard roller 0 upon engaging with the curb saves the auxiliary brush from wear and it also engages with large obstructions on the road and either deflects. them away from the outer end of this brush or in front of the same and thereby prevents injury to the outer end of the same.

In order to prevent the main endless brush upon passing from the lower to the upper side of the same from throwing any dirt adhering thereto over the front wall f of the box and upon the drivers seat E a guard P is provided which is preferably construct: ed of a sheet of metal secured to said front wall and curving upwardly andrearwardly over the adjacent front part of the main brush. Any dirt which adheres to the main brush and which is thrown forwardly therefrom as it turns around the front supporting wheels H is intercepted by the guard P and directed downwardly by the same into the box.

For the purpose of removing strings, ropes, sticksand other long particles from the main brush, a clearing comb Q, is provided which is preferably arranged transcomb may be adjusted toward and from the brush to suit the length of the bristles and the teeth of the comb and also to compensate for any wear on the same. This adjustment of the comb is preferably effected by mounting the same at opposite ends on arms or levers g which are pivoted to turn vertically on the front wall 7 oft-he box and holding the same .in position by means of clamping screws Q1 secured to this front wall and passing through segmental slots g in the supporting arms q, as shown in Figs. 1 and 8. By this means the comb can be adjusted to properly remove any stringy or elongated articles from the main brush so that the same will not become clogged but will be maintained in its best working condition.

For the purpose of rendering the machine more compact for transportation and storage and also to avoid unnecessary wear of the brushes when the machine is propelled while not in-use the rear part of the brushing mechanism is folded upwardly and forwardly over the front part thereof. To permit of this folding operation the front and rear sections L, L of the runway are pivot ally connected by means of horizontal trans verse pins R which are arranged in line and each of which passes through corresponding perforated ears or eyes on the upper ends of a pair of brackets r, r secured to the adjacent ends of the front and rear runway sections on one side thereof. The rear section of the runway and the parts mounted thereon are normally held in their lowermost or connection between the front and rear runway sections is so located that when the rear section of the runway together with the parts of the sweeper mechanism mounted thereon, is turned upwardly and forwardly to the limit of its movement in this direction these parts are arranged in front "of said pivotal connection, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 5, and are retained in this position by gravity. The rear' runway section and the sweeper mechanism mounted thereon may be folded and unfolded by any suitable means but preferably by a pair of gear segments S secured to the brackets r of the rear runway section, and a transverse shaft .9 journaled in hearings on the underside of the front runway section and provided with gear pinions 8 s meshing with said gear segments. The shaft 8 may be turned by means of a crank applied toone end thereof or-any other suitable means. In its uppermost position the rear runway section is supported by means of stops or legs 2? securedthereto and resting on stops or standards t arranged on the front runway section, thereby holdin the parts reliably in position. Upon fol ing. the endless brush the same, in the absencejof any provision to prevent it, would beliable to move backwardly owing to the weight of the loop in the upper part thereof, which backward movement would injure those bristlesof the endless brush which are in engagement with the runway, inasmuch as they wouldbefbent into a reverse angular position. To. prevent this a locking device, preferably automatic in its operation, is provided which comprises a dog a pivoted on one side of the rear runway section adjacent to one of the chain belts of the endless brush and a weighted arm u connected with the pivot of the dog. The relative arrangement of the parts is such that when the rear runway section and endless brush are lowered the dog it is dis- 4 engaged from the adjacent brush chain belt,

as-shown in Fig. 1, thereby permitting the endless brush to travel freely. But when the rear runway section is turned upwardly into a reversed or folded position the welghted arm u 'operates to automatically turn the.

dog u into engagement with the adjacent brush belt chain and hold the brush against,

backward movement; h

In'the absence of any provision to prevent it, the wings or flaps at therear end of the rear runway section would hang in a vertical or pendent position upon lowering the rear end of the endless brush to its operative position and become broken by engaging the surface of the roadway in thisposition. To

overcome this, means are provided which comprise a plurality of retaining fingers V arranged lengthwise underneath the rear runway section and having their rear ends adjacent to the underside of the lower set or group of wings or flaps, a set of rear links '1) less brush the weight arm w is turned on the rear side of its axis and withdraws the rear ends of the retaining fingers sufliciently to clear the wings and permit the latter to rise and fall freely in following the uneven surface of the street or roadway which is beingswept. Upon inverting the rear parts of the runway and main brush the weight arm w turns to the opposite side of its pivot and moves the retaining fingers against the underside of the lower set of wings and thereby holds the same together with the upper set of wings close to the bristles of the endless brush, as shown in Fig. 2.- The wings are retained in this position until the rear runway section and adjacent parts have nearly reached their lowermost or operative position and the wings while in an inclined.

position engage at their rear ends with the roadway, as-shown in Fig. ,17/ When the parts reach this position the weight arm to again shifts to the rear of its center, as

shown in this figure, thereby again withdrawing the retaining fingers from the wings so that as the rear runway section completes its downward movement th'iwings will be free to rise and fall without interference from said fingers. When the lower or rear runway section is raised for folding the endless brush into an inoperative position, the

vjoint betweenthe front and rear runway sections opens, whereby' any dirt present at this place on the runway drops. In order to prevent such dirt from falling on the swept part of the street a catch pan or tray 9* is provided which is-arranged below the runway and extends across the joint between its sections and is secured at its front .end to the front runway section." As the rear runway section is raised and dirt drops through the joint between the same and the front section this dirt is caught by the pan 3; from which it may be removed by the operator, thereby avoiding littering the'street after being swept,

I claim as my invention:

1. -A sweeping machine comprising a box,

its

an endless sweeping brush extending forwardly and upwardly, over said box, and means for folding the rear part of said brush forwardly over the front part thereof.'

2. A sweeping machine comprising a box,

an inclined runway extending to the rear end of said box and having a stationary front part and vertically swinging rear part, an endless sweeping brush extending over said runway and box, front supporting wheels mounted on the box and supporting the front end of the endless brush, and rear supporting wheels mounted on the rear section of the runway and supporting the rear end of the endless brush.

3. A sweeping machine comprising a box, an inclined runway extending to the rear end of said box and having a stationary front part and vertically swinging rear part, an endless sweeping brush extending over said runway and box, front supporting wheels mounted on the box and supporting the front end of the endless brush, rear supporting wheels mounted on the rear section of the runway and supporting therearend of the endless brush, and means for turning the rear runway sectiori= together with the parts carried thereby comprising a gear segment connected with the rear runway section and a rotatable pinion mounted. on they front runway section and meshing with said segment. I i

4. A sweeping machine comprising a box, an inclined runway arranged at therear end of. said box and having a vertically swinging rear section, an endless sweeping brush movable forwardly over said runway means for folding the rear part of said brush over the front part thereof, and a lock for holding said brush against backward movement, while in its folded condition.

'5. A sweeping machine comprising a box, an inclined runway arranged at the rear end of said box and having a vertically swinging rear" section, an endless sweeping brush movable forwardly over said runway, and an automatic lock mounted on the rear runway section and adapted to hold said brush against lengthwise movement in the elevated position of said rear runway section and. to release said brush in the depressed position of the rear runway section.

6. A sweeping machine comprising a box, an inclined runway arranged at the rear end of said box and havin a vertically swinging rear section, an on less sweeping brush movable forwardly over said runway and having a chain belt, a dog pivoted on the rear runway ection adjacent to said belt, and a weigh d arm connected with said dog and adapted to move the same into engagement with said chain belt upon elevating said. rear runway section and to clear said chain belt upon depressing the rear runway section.

7. A sweeping machine comprising a box, a runway extending to the rear end of said box and having a stationary front section and a vertically swinging rear section which is pivotally connected with the front section, an endless sweeping brush moving forwardly over the runway, and a pan extending across the joint between said runway sections and below the same and secured to the front section.

Witness my hand this 3rd day of January LOUIS SOOS. Witnesses:

THEo. L. PoPP, E. M. GRAHAM. 

